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81.817 Therefore, having considered that the philanthropic Lord limited the captivity of Judah to seventy years, and that forty years were left of the seventy, I understood that the prophet says it is the thirtieth year of the captivity. But tracing back and seeking the time, I find the captivity did not happen thirty years before, but thirteen years before. But God, being good and philanthropic, is accustomed to number the time of the chastisement from His own decree, not from the outcome of events. Thus He has also done in the case of the patriarch Abraham. For having said that "Your seed will be a sojourner in a land that is not their own, and they will enslave it, and afflict it for four hundred years," He did not allow this whole time to be completed among the Egyptians, but He numbers the number of the four hundred years from the decree. And in the case of Noah too, having given a period of one hundred and twenty years for repentance, having seen the increase of lawlessness, He did not wait for the end of the decree, in order that He might stop the course of sin. So therefore here also we will find the number of the thirty years, if we make the decree of God the beginning of the number. And God decreed the captivity and servitude of the Jews in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah. For when Hilkiah the high priest found the Mosaic law buried (for such lawlessness prevailed in Judea, that even the divine things were given over to complete oblivion), then when the king read it, and considered how the things dared by the people were directly contrary to the law, and on account of this being greatly terrified, and having exhorted the high priest to make God propitious, the high priest went to Huldah the prophetess, a pious woman and a keeper of the divine laws. And she, becoming inspired, and full of the divine Spirit, said to him: "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me: Behold, I am bringing evils upon this place, and upon those who dwell in it, all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands. And my wrath shall be kindled in this place, and it shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus you shall say to him: Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Because you have heard my words, and your heart repented, and you were humbled before my face, when you heard what I spoke against this place, and against those who dwell 81.820 in it, that it should become a desolation, and you tore your garments, and wept before me, I also have heard, says the Lord. Is it not so? Behold, I am adding you to your fathers, and you will be brought to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evils which I am bringing upon this place, and upon those who dwell in it." And the book of Chronicles also teaches these things. And these things were done and said in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah. And he reigned for thirty-one years. Therefore from the eighteenth to the thirty-first are fourteen years. And after him Jehoahaz reigned for three months, which it is necessary to add to these years, because the prophecy happened in the eighth month of the eighteenth year. Then adding the eleven of Jehoiakim to the previous years, we will find twenty-five. And the three months of Jeconiah and the few days, we will again substitute for the remaining months of the eighteenth year. Having added the five of the captivity of Jeconiah to the twenty-five, we will find the number of thirty years. Thus we will also be able to grasp the truth of the seventy years of the captivity. For from the eighteenth of the reign of Josiah until the first of Cyrus, king of the Persians, in whose time the first recall happened, the

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81.817 Σκοπήσας οὖν, ὡς ἔτεσιν ἑβδομήκοντα τὴν αἰχμαλω σίαν Ἰούδα περιώρισεν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος ∆εσπότης, καὶ ὅτι τεσσαράκοντα τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα ὑπολέλειπται ἔτη, συνεῖδον ὅτι τὸ τριακοστὸν ἔτος ὁ προφήτης τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας εἶναί φησιν. Ἀναποδίζων δὲ, καὶ τὸν χρόνον ἀναζητῶν, εὑρίσκω τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν οὐ πρὸ τριάκοντα γεγενημένην ἐτῶν, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τριῶν καὶ δέκα ἐτῶν. Ἀλλ' ἀγαθὸς ὢν καὶ φιλάνθρωπος ὁ Θεὸς, ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας ἀποφάσεως, οὐκ ἐκ τῆς τῶν πρα γμάτων ἐκβάσεως, τὸν τῆς παιδείας χρόνον εἴωθεν ἀριθμεῖν. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ πατριάρχου πεποίηκεν Ἀβραάμ. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ, ὅτι "Πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδίᾳ, καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτὸ, καὶ κακώσουσιν αὐτὸ ἔτη τετρακόσια, οὐκ εἴασεν παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις τοῦτον ἅπαντα διατελέσαι τὸν χρό νον, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ἀποφάσεως ἀριθμεῖ τὸν τῶν τετρα κοσίων ἐτῶν ἀριθμόν· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε δὲ εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν ἐνιαυτῶν προθεσμίαν εἰς μεταμέλειαν δεδωκὼς, τῆς παρανομίας τὴν ἐπίδοσιν θεασάμενος, οὐκ ἀνέμεινε τὸ τῆς ἀποφάσεως τέλος, ἵνα παύσῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸν δρόμον. Οὕτω τοίνυν κἀνταῦθα τῶν τριάκοντα ἐτῶν τὸν ἀριθμὸν εὑρήσομεν, ἀρχὴν τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τὴν ἀπόφασιν τοῦ Θεοῦ ποιησάμενοι. Κατ εψηφίσατο δὲ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰουδαίων αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ δουλείαν ἐν τῷ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει τῆς Ἰωσίου βασι λείας. Χελκίου γὰρ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως συγκεχωσμένον τὸν Μωσαϊκὸν εὑρηκότος νόμον (τοσαύτη γὰρ Ἰου δαίας ἐκράτει παρανομία, ὡς καὶ λήθῃ παντελεῖ τὰ θεῖα παραδοθῆναι), εἶτα τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦτον ἀνα γνόντος, καὶ σκοπήσαντος, ὡς ἄντικρυς ἐναντία τῷ νόμῳ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ λαοῦ τολμώμενα, καὶ τούτου χάριν λίαν ἐκδειματωθέντος, καὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα παρακαλέσαντος ἵλεων τὸν Θεὸν καταστῆσαι, ἀφικ νεῖται μὲν ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς πρὸς Ὀλδᾶν τὴν προφῆτιν, εὐσεβῆ γυναῖκα καὶ τῶν θείων φύλακα νόμων· ἡ δὲ ἔνθους γενομένη, καὶ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος πλήρης, εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν· "Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Εἴπατε τῷ ἀνδρὶ τῷ ἀποστείλαντι ὑμᾶς πρός με· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω κακὰ ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν αὐτῷ, πάντας τοὺς λόγους τοῦ βιβλίου οὗ ἀνέγνω ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰούδα· ἀνθ' ὧν ἐγκατέλιπόν με, καὶ ἐθυμίασαν θεοῖς ἑτέροις, ἵνα παροργίσωσί με ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν αὑτῶν· καὶ ἐκκαυθήσεται ὁ θυμός μου ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ, καὶ οὐ σβεσθήσεται· πρὸς δὲ τὸν βασιλέα Ἰούδα, τὸν καὶ ἀποστείλαντα ὑμᾶς τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι τὸν Κύριον, οὕτως ἐρεῖτε πρὸς αὐτόν· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Ἀνθ' ὧν ἤκουσας τοὺςλόγους μου, καὶ μετεμελήθη ἡ καρδία σου, καὶ ἐνετράπης ἀπὸ προσώπου μου, ὡς ἤκουσας ὅσα ἐλά λησα ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦν 81.820 τας ἐν αὐτῷ, τοῦ γενέσθαι εἰς ἀφανισμὸν, καὶ διέῤῥηξας τὰ ἱμάτιά σου, καὶ ἔκλαυσας ἐνώπιόν μου, καὶ ἐγὼ ἤκουσα, φησὶ Κύριος· οὐχ οὕτως; Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ προστίθημί σε πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας σου, καὶ ἐπαχθήσῃ εἰς τὸν τάφον σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ, καὶ οὐκ ὄψονται οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου πάντα τὰ κακὰ ἃ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοι κοῦντας αὐτόν." Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομέ νων βίβλος διδάσκει. Ἐπράχθη δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ἐῤῥέθη ἐν τῷ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Ἰωσίου· ἓν δὲ καὶ τριάκοντα ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη. Ἀπὸ τοίνυν τοῦ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτου ἕως τοῦ τριακοστοῦ πρώτου γίνονται ἔτη τεσσαρακαίδεκα· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Ἰωάχας τρεῖς μῆνας ἐβασίλευσεν, οὓς δεῖ τούτοις αὐτοὺς συνάψαι τοῖς ἔτεσι, διὰ τὸ τῷ ὀγδόῳ μηνὶ τοῦ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτου ἔτους γεγενῆσθαι τὴν προφητείαν· εἶτα τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ ἕνδεκα τοῖς προτέροις συνάψαντες ἔτεσιν, εὑρήσομεν πέντε καὶ εἴκοσι. Τοὺς δὲ τρεῖς μῆνας τοῦ Ἰεχονίου καὶ τὰς ὀλίγας ἡμέρας, πάλιν ἀντὶ τῶν ὑπολοίπων μηνῶν τοῦ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτου ἔτους ἀντεισάξομεν. Τοῖς δὲ πέντε καὶ εἴκοσι τὰ πέντε τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τοῦ Ἰεχονίου προστεθεικότες τὸν τῶν τριάκοντα ἐτῶν εὑρήσομεν ἀριθμόν· οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐτῶν τὸ ἀψευδὲς καταλαβεῖν δυνησό μεθα. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτου τῆς Ἰωσίου βασιλείας μέχρι πρώτου Κύρου τῶν Περσῶν βασι λέως, ἐφ' οὗ ἡ πρώτη ἀνάκλησις γέγονεν, ὁ